Cushioning device



Oct. 23, 1-934. 11 SPRQUL 1,977,865

CUSHIONING. DEVICE Filed March 17, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l N L I flu/(471107 Dana/6a. JTS OWOM Oct. 23, 1934 D. F. S PROUL 1,977,865

I CUSHIONINGDEVICE I Filed March 17. 1936 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 patented Oct. 23, 1934 PATENT OFFICE v 1,977,865 CUSHIONING DEVICE Donald F. 'Sproul, Chicago, 111., assignor to Cardwell Westinghouse Company, a corporation of Delaware Application March 17, 1933, Serial No. 661,272?

4 Claims.

relation by the unwinding and rewinding move'.

ment of the spring barrel upon compression and release.

Other objects will become apparent upon a de scription of the structure.v

The above mentioned object is secured by in-Q terlocking the spring seats and wedging and friction elements of the device as a unit against relative turning movement of these various elements.

In the accompanying drawings Figs. 1 and 2 are elevational views of the ends of the device, showing their outer faces;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of .Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a group of the spring seats and wedging and friction elements of the device, shown in perspective.

It is found in practice that in this form of gear there is a tendency to throw the various parts out of proper relation and lessen their emciency, and to turn the spring seats so that they do not properly interfit between the draw-bar yoke arms. This tendency is due to the unwinding and rewinding action of the spring as it is compressed and released. The parts are maintained in proper relation by the construction hereinafter described.

At 10, 11, there are indicated follower plates for engagement with draft and buffing lugs of a railway car, between which, or similar headers,

the cushioning device is located in service.

A helical spring barrel 12, having a plain cylindrical inner surface, reacts between a pair of spring seats 13, 14, the inner faces of these seats 1 being provided with lugs, as 24, 24, for centering the spring. The outer face of the seat 13 engages the follower 10; a set of segmental shoes 15, preferably two in number, frictionally engage the inner surface of the barrel, and have at their outer ends laterally projecting flanges 22, which over- 'T outstanding flanges 25, which overlap the'outer face of the seat "14. A central thrust element 17, adapted to seat against the follower 11, projects inwardly, and is provided with wedge faces 18,, 19, cooperating with complementary wedge faces on the shoes 16, and is, roughly,'oblong rectangular in cross-section, extending substantially across the chamberof the barrel 12 and. interfitting between the shoes 15.

The seats 13, 14, are annular. in form but are provided with top and bottom flat faces 23, 23, to fit between the top and bottom arms of a yoke (not shown), and with lateral wings23 23 having flattened outer faces to engage the inner faces of a pair of car sills, between which the device will be located in service.

The seat 13 also has an integral bridge 21, which defines the apertures through which the shoes 15 project and the segmental recesses within which the flanges 22 of these shoes are seated. As shown in Fig. 1, the bridge 21 is slightly 7 oblique to the horizontal diameter of the seat 13, to provide sufficient clearance to facilitate the assembling of the parts. v

The thrust element 17 is provided with a pair of lateral lugs 27, which engage in complementary recesses 26 in the seat 14. The flanges 25 of the shoes 16 which overlap the seat 14 are segmental in form, and seat loosely between radially disposed shoulders 14 14 the principal function of which is to strengthen the seat.

The wedges 19, being formed near the rearward end of the thrust element 17, and the cooperating faces 29 at the heel of the shoes 16, the shoe is strengthened against fracture at its most vulnerable point and a true radial pressure of 1.

On compression of the gear fr1ct1on is developed between the outer faces of the shoes 15 and the inner face of the spring barrel, and between their inner faces and the shoes 16. By reason of their tapering form the shoes 16 are forced radially inward, augmenting the wedging action and increasing the compression of the spring.

The unwinding and rewinding movements of the spring on compression and release, though not great, tend to turn the spring seats in opposite directions, and with each the friction elements associated with it. Such turning movement of the gear parts is prevented by the interlocking of these parts with the spring seats and with each other, whereby the reversely acting turning forces at the opposite ends of the spring result only in the slipping of the spring ends upon the seats.

The most disturbing turning force is that applied to the seat 14 on release, which is trans barrel, cooperating segmental friction shoes arranged in pairs, the members of each pair being anchored to the seats at opposite ends of the barrel, a thrust element on the axis of the barrel and projecting from one end thereof, and being in wedging engagement with the inner friction shoes, the seats, friction shoes and thrust element being interlocked against relativeturning movement.

2. In a cushioning device, in combination, a helical spring barrel, a seat for each end of the barrel, cooperating segmental friction shoes arranged in pairs, the members of each pair being anchored to the seats at opposite ends of the barrel and interlocked therewith against turning movement, a thrust element on the axis of the barrel and projecting from one end thereof, and being in wedging engagement with the inner friction shoes, and being interlocked against relative turning movement with the seat to which the inner shoes are anchored, the seats, friction shoes and thrust element being interlocked against relative turning movement.

3. In a cushioning device, in combination, a Spiral spring barrel, a spring seat for one end of the barrel comprising an integral plate having segmental apertures, segmental friction shoes setting through the apertures and having radial outstanding flanges at their outer ends, a spring seat for the opposite end of the barrel comprising'a centrally apertured plate having spaced axially projecting radial stop flanges arranged in pairs, and a segmental flange joining the radial flanges of adjacent pairs, such segmental flanges being axially slotted in their inner faces, segmental friction shoes engaging the inner faces of the first-named shoes and having radially projecting flanges at their outer ends overlapping the last-named seat and fitting between its radial'flanges, and a thrust element projecting inwardly between the last-named shoes and being in wedging engagement therewith at their outer ends and adjacent their inner ends and having longitudinal ribs engaging the named axial slots, the thrust members having longitudinal segmental flanges interfitting between adjacent friction shoes of the first-named set.

4. In a cushioning device, in combination, a helical spring barrel, seats for the'spring ends, cooperating friction. and wedgeelements inclosed within the barrel, certain of such elements frictionally engaging the interior thereof, the seats and inclosed elements being positively locked together as a unit against relativeturning move ment. H

\ DONALD E. SPROUL. 

